L'Arche in the UK

There are eleven L’Arche Communities in the UK. The first Community opened in 1974 in Kent and our newest Community opened in Manchester in 2013. In each Community, we offer high quality, person-centred support for adults with learning disabilities.

Reflecting the diversity, uniqueness and differing needs of each person, some individuals are supported in their own homes for a few hours per week, while others are supported twenty-four hours a day in our assisted living services.

L’Arche Communities are vibrant places of welcome, belonging and celebration. As an organisation we are committed to providing people with learning disabilities the opportunities and support they need to lead fulfilling and empowered lives.

L'Arche UK Leadership Structure

National Board:

Aedan MacGreevy (Chair)
Roland Clark (Treasurer)

National Leadership Team:

John Casson (National Leader)
Kathleen Boyle (Deputy National Leader)
Des Kennedy (Regional Leader - Scotland & North England)
James Cuming (Regional Leader - Wales & South England)
Sarah Harrison (National Assistants' Co-ordinator)
Louise Carter (Formation Co-ordinator)
Debbie Walker (National Finance Co-ordinator and Company Secretary)
Hannah Lythe (Director of Fundraising and Communications)

Community Leaders/Directors:

Sonja Jones (Bognor Regis)
Des Kennedy (Brecon)
Kirsty MacCrimmon (Edinburgh)
Gary Deplacido (Highland)
David Hockley (Ipswich)
Liis Revell (Kent)
Carol Carney (Liverpool)
Lucy Winter (London)
Nem Tomlinson (Manchester)
Caireen Detain (Nottingham Project)
Michael Sheppard (Preston)

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Fill a very short questionnaire (literally, just a few questions) that would help us to understand what it is that you are looking to get from us!
Be part of something extraordinary!

''I’ve seen how people with disability often get the worst of it... but I’ve also seen how, when people in L’Arche come together, something extraordinary happens''. Watch the video to find out what John witnessed in our Communities!

L'Arche globally

Created in France in 1964 by Jean Vanier, L'Arche is a group of over 130 worldwide communities where people with and without intellectual disabilities share life together in community. Volunteers and care workers are coming from all over the world to provide support to people with learning disabilities. All faiths are welcomed.

Live-In Assistants at L'Arche

Life as a live-in assistant at L'Arche is so much more than a care role. It's an experience that will shape you through life in an intentional community of people with and without learning disabilities. Apply today and start your journey of a lifetime.
Live-in assistants

L'Arche live-in assistants live and work in our Communities with and alongside people with learning disabilities. They provide them care and support. Apply here.
L'Arche in the UK

There are eleven L’Arche Communities based across the UK, where persons with and without learning disabilities live together. Volunteers and care workers are providing support. They try to promote Jean Vanier philosophy. All faiths are welcomed.
What we do at L'Arche

In a world that values winning, L’Arche Communities are places where people with and without learning disabilities can discover who they are and not just what they can do.
Statement from L'Arche, following the verdict at the inquest into the death of Joe Ulleri

Speaking outside the Coroner’s Court in Manchester, Kevin Coogan, Community Leader of L’Arche Manchester, read out the following statement on behalf of L’Arche.
Live-In Assistants in L'Arche

Life as a live-in assistant at L'Arche is so much more than a care role. It's an experience that will shape you through life in an intentional community of people with and without learning disabilities. Apply today and start your journey of a lifetime.
International Applicants

The Youth Mobility Scheme is an option to consider for anyone who wishes to travel to the UK to work for L'Arche. If you are not eligible for this visa, you can apply for the Tier 5 Temporary Charity Worker visa. Read here for more information and to find out if you're eligible.
Supported living

While some individuals wish to live in a home with other people, others prefer to be supported to live independently. At L’Arche we help people to choose a way of life that feels right for them, and for their families.
Summer in the Forest

Summer in the Forest is a full-length feature film about our founder Jean Vanier and the L’Arche communities in Trosly, France and Bethlehem. It tells how two L’Arche communities, though quite different from those in the UK, share our common values, and shows how people with learning disabilities and assistants / care workers that support them are living together.
Diary of a new assistant: Monika

Monika joined L'Arche Edinburgh in June, during the first Scottish lockdown. Here, she journals her first few months as a new assistant in community.